10 Essential Childish Gambino Tracks

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Posted by Danny Schwartz, Aug 15, 2016 at 12:23am

The best Childish Gambino songs.

September is shaping up to be the biggest month on Donald Glover/Childish Gambino's career. "Atlanta," the show he conceived, wrote, produced, and starred in," will debut on FX on September 6th. He has also promised the live unveiling of a new album called Pharos.

Together, these two premieres mark the end of what would now be considered an extended hiatus, which may only appear as such due to Gambino's allergy to social media. Anyways, we're excited. You should be excited. Get ready by swiping through the gallery to listen to 10 essential Childish Gambino tracks.

10 Essential Childish Gambino Tracks

10 Essential Childish Gambino Tracks

"Freaks & Geeks"
Though not the greatest one-shot hip hop or R&B music video ever -- shoutout" Erykah Badu's "Window Seat" & D'Angelo's "How Does It Feel" -- "Freaks & Geeks" is certainly one of the most memorable, because it is the song that really put him on the map as a rapper. It appeared on Gambino's sixth project, 2011's EP. At the time, it felt like Gambino, fully evolved. But in retrospect, he was barely on the verge of his Charmeleon phase.

Isaac Brekken/Getty Images

"Break (AOTL)"
Before we proceed ahead in time, let's take a brief step back. "Break" begins (and ends) as an acoustic cover of Kanye West's "All of the Lights" then suddenly kicks things up a notch, as R&B Gambino gives way to spitfire Gambino. The switch is abrupt, as if Gambino wants to draw attention to versatility.

"3005" + "3005 (Picnic Version)"
Peaking at #64 on the Billboard Hot 100, "3005" is Childish Gambino's highest-charting song ever. It begins with comical, playful, PG-rated synth, then accumulates layers until it becomes a fully matured beast, ready to get played on the radio. "It's kind of an existential thing," Gambino said of the song. "I'm just really scared of being alone."
Gambino updated the single with a "Picnic" redux on STN MTN / Kauai.

"Sweatpants"
"Sweatpants" contains the highest concentration of memorable lines on a Gambino song not expressly intended to produce memorable lines (e.g. "Freaks & Geeks"). Perhaps what sticks with you the most about the song is the beat, which was co-produced by Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson. Göransson actually co-produced all of Camp and Because the Internet.

Rich Polk/Getty Images

"Flight of the Navigator"
Here's what Göransson had to say about the creation of "Flight of the Navigator", which was recorded in "the mansion":
"First thing I sat down with Donalds shitty acoustic gtr and played some sweet chords. He recorded it on his iPhone and then sent it to my email... Donald sang a melody into his iPhone, in fact all the vocals on the first half of the song are sung into his iPhone! A cool layer that comes in in around 3.30 is strings+Donald humming running through a side chain with the kick drum."

"The Worst Guys" feat. Chance the Rapper
"The Worst Guys" appeared on Because the Internet but the opening shot actually closely resembles the STN MTN / Kauai cover art. Another funny thing about this video is that it involves the combination of surfing and smoking blunts, which is a terrible idea but also a great idea.

"Telegraph Ave"
The "Telegraph Ave" video has a really bizarre ending, but it is mostly about a romantic date between Gambino and his would-be lover, Jhene Aiko. Rumors briefly swirled of something greater than friendship between the two, but (to Gambino's distress), Aiko quickly shot them down.
Loving people is different than being in love with them," she said. “It’s easy for me to love a person because loving is understanding them."

"Sober"
The "Sober" video has a more predictable arc than the "Telegraph Ave" video, and is perhaps more closely fits its song. The "weird" part takes place two-thirds in and ultimately is the cause of the richly cathartic moment when the girl smiles and falls for Gambino. In "Telegraph Ave," the "weird" part takes place at the very end -- Gambino getting hit by a car right when he's about to smooch Jhene Aiko, then spontaneously morphs into some kraken-Cthulu harbinger of death. That's Gambino for you.

The best Childish Gambino songs.

September is shaping up to be the biggest month on Donald Glover/Childish Gambino's career. "Atlanta," the show he conceived, wrote, produced, and starred in," will debut on FX on September 6th. He has also promised the live unveiling of a new album called Pharos.

Together, these two premieres mark the end of what would now be considered an extended hiatus, which may only appear as such due to Gambino's allergy to social media. Anyways, we're excited. You should be excited. Get ready by swiping through the gallery to listen to 10 essential Childish Gambino tracks.